Ex-Georgian Leader Saakashvili Ends Hunger Strike at Request of European Lawmakers -Letter

TBILISI (Sputnik) - Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on Wednesday ended his hunger strike at the request of European lawmakers a few hours after it was announced, according to the ex-president's letter.

Earlier on Wednesday, Saakashvili said he went on a hunger strike after he was denied to take part in his trial via teleconferencing. A hearing was held in a city court on the possible postponement of the ex-president's prison sentence due to the doctors' report on his state of health. Doctors did not allow Saakashvili to attend the hearing in person due to his health condition.

The politician was expected to join the trial online from a clinic where he is being treated after a long hunger strike in prison. However, the penitentiary service said it did not have the appropriate technical equipment to organize remote attendance. The former president's supporters said the Georgian government is doing everything to prevent Saakashvili from appearing in public.

"I received a message from European Lawmakers, who categorically asked me to stop the hunger strike at this stage and not to give reasons for the relevant services to claim that I was harming myself," Saakashvili's attorney Vakhtang Baramashvili read out the ex-president's letter to journalists.

"At the same time, members of the European Parliament pledged to mobilize all diplomatic efforts to ensure that my rights are protected. I feel ill not because I do not eat on purpose but because I am poisoned."

The former president was put in jail on October 1 last year, shortly after returning to Georgia, where he was wanted on several charges, including abuse of power, stealing public money, and ordering a crackdown on a peaceful rally. He is serving a six-year sentence.

Saakashvili's doctors and supporters say his health has deteriorated dramatically since he went on hunger strikes during his detention.

On November 28, Saakashvili's attorney Shalva Khachapuridze said that a medical examination had detected a heavy metal, arsenic, in addition to mercury, in the ex-president's body.

Saakashvili was the president of Georgia for two consecutive terms from 2004 to 2013 and was barred from seeking a third term under the Georgian constitution. Shortly after the end of his term, Saakashvili left the country. He actively supported Ukraine's Euromaidan in 2014 and 2015 and was appointed the governor of the Ukrainian region of Odesa after receiving Ukrainian citizenship.